The Best Times of Our Lives
by Starlit Broom
Summary: L+MWPP Bit of a drama, Chapter 14, the finale is finally up!!!
1. The Hogwarts Express

The Best Times of Our Lives  
  
Chapter One  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I own Ana Marie and Christina, other than that, every thing else belongs to J. K. Rowlings, goddess of children's literature  
  
  
  
"Well, what do we have here?" Sirius Black popped his head in through the train compartment door. "Hey Jay! Lookit! Lils is reading a book! Can it be that our little Lily decided to buckle down and study this year? Or is she just trying to look inconspicuous?"  
  
A pair of stunningly green eyes and a bright smile greeted Sirius, "Shhhh, You guys had better get in here, or else they'll think you did it!"  
  
"I knew it! She's just trying to look inconspicuous. What're you up to, Lily-love?" said Sirius as he plopped down in the seat next to Lily. Following Sirius in was James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, all sixth years and friends of Lily's from Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "Planning to bring in the new school year with a bang?"  
  
"You could say that, Sirius, but you'll have to wait like everybody else. So, has anyone seen Ann or Chris?" Ana Marie Croft and Christina Eastman were also sixth years and friends of Lily's. They shared a room in the girl's dormitory in Gryffindor, one of the houses at Hogwarts.   
  
"I saw them at the station, but I don't know where they are now," said Remus, a pale, sickly looking teenage boy with sandy brown hair. He pulled a deck of cards out of the pocket of his black robes. "Anyone up for a game of Exploding Snap?"   
  
"Oh!" said Lily. "I'll bet they're just getting good seats for what's coming." Lily grinned mischievously and flipped her red tresses over her shoulder. "I'm in for a game Remus, anybody else?"  
  
"Come on, Lily, tell us what's going on," James Potter spoke for the first time since he came in the compartment. He and Lily have been friends since they met at their sorting six years ago. Lily could still remember as if it were yesterday. She had placed the Sorting Hat on her head and it had barely touched her ears before it yelled "Gryffindor!" marking her fate forever.  
  
"Nope!" laughed Lily. "You'll just have to wait! Don't frown so, James, it shouldn't be long now." Suddenly, a loud crash could be heard from a compartment right down the corridor from theirs.   
  
"Where is she?!?!? That filthy little mudblood did this, I know it!!" The five could hear compartment doors being ripped open and people yelling and laughing. Their compartment door flew open, and three quite angry Slytherins (another house at Hogwarts, namely the one with the most animosity towards Gryffindor ) with very colorful hairdos stomped in. "You'll pay for this! I knew something was going on when you handed me my Potions book. I thought that I had tucked it away in my trunk. Who do you think you are, anyway, you dirty little mudblood?"  
  
At that word, all four boys stood up. Sirius was nose to nose with Severus Snape, the boy who seemed to be the ringleader of the group. "You had better watch who you're calling a mudblood, you greasy slimeball! You. Don't. Talk. To. My. Friends. Like. That." Sirius punctuated every word with his fist hitting his hand.  
  
Seeing that they were outnumbered five to three, Severus, Lucius Malfoy, and Aladair Eel swept the room with dirty looks before turning on their heels and slamming the door behind them.   
  
Laughing hysterically, James turned to Lily. "How, on this earth, did you pull that one off? I want details." Lily blushed at the attention of the handsome boy with disheveled black hair and brown eyes.  
  
"All I did was put a charm on some hair tonic, and modified one of those dungbombs that you keep setting off in their common rooms. Then I got a hold of one of Snape's books and, well, you see what happened next." Lily was quite proud of the fact that she was ranked among the most devilish pranksters in the school, right after the four that sat in front of her.   
  
"Bravo to Lily! I think she's earned a four wand salute from the Marauders!" Remus put his wand high in the air, swiftly followed by Peter's, Sirius's and then James's, red and gold sparks flew colorfully from the ends of each. They all then turned with wands held combatively when the compartment doors flew open again.  
  
"Not going to hex us, are you boys?" Christina holding her cat Hestia, and followed closely behind by Ana Marie. "I must say, Lils, when Snape and his cronies burst into our compartment, we could barely keep from falling to the floor laughing. You have outdone yourself, and classes haven't even started yet!"  
  
Lily just smiled sweetly, as the train began to slow down marking that Hogwarts was looming ever closer. "Ah, I can almost smell the musty old potions room from here. It's great to be back at school!!"  
  
A/N This is my first fic and hopefully the beginning of a really good story. Please, let me know if this is good enough to continue on, otherwise I'll stop now.  



	2. Sirius's Prank

Disclaimer: If by some miracle of God, you have read this before, then it probably doesn't belong to me. If it is unfamiliar, then it probably does. 'Nuff said.  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
  
  
Two weeks after the start of the new school year, Lily Evans sat in the Gryffindor common room in front of the fire with four of her best friends, James Potter, Sirius Black, Ana Marie Croft and Christina Eastman studying the day's lesson in potions. "I just can't stand this! Lily yelled and threw her potions book, accidentally hitting Sirius in the head. "Sorry, Si. It's just that we've been back for two weeks, and we haven't done a decent prank since the one on the train! We have to get started, or we'll lose our edge."  
  
Sirius rubbed his head where the book had hit him. He glared at Lily, "well, I don't know how you expect me to think now, you've knocked all of my brains out!"  
  
"It can't be that bad, Si," laughed James. "You didn't have that many to begin with! Lily's right, however, we need to get going on something. Anyone have any ideas?"  
  
"Well, now that you mention it…." Lily said with that gleam in her eyes that her friends had come to know all to well. "I have been thinking on something."  
  
"Oh, Lil, what have you got planned now?" asked Ana. "something nasty against Snape? Or perhaps something to that mangy cat Mrs. Norris?" Ana had always been something of a follower. A brilliant student, she just didn't have the malice that most of her friends did. She was, however, very good at pointing out the flaws of a plan, and fitting the pieces in just so they would work out.  
  
"Well, I thought that maybe we could…" Her voice faded out as Molly Bell, Head Girl of Hogwarts, walked in through the portrait hole entrance of the Gryffindor house.   
  
"May I have your attention please? I have some exciting news! First of all, classes for the next few days have been canceled." Molly waited until the excited hoots and hollers in the common room died down. "Professor Astra has discovered a special meteor shower passing through Cassiopeia which will not happen again here for another thousand years or so. The Headmaster believes this to be vital to your studies and has changed lights out curfew to six o'clock beginning tonight. You will be expected to report to the Great Hall at eleven where you will all be able to view this event. That is all." With that, Molly left the common room to tell the other houses.   
  
"Wow! No classes! Who would've thunk it?" Christina exclaimed. "I wonder what's so special about this meteor shower anyway? I've seen dozens of them!"  
  
"Yeah, but do they all pass through Cassiopeia? Say, Jay, isn't that close to Uranus?" Said Sirius. "Oh, I just thought of something. Moony is going to miss all of this! It's that time you know."  
  
"Oh, you're right, Si. We should sneak up to HQ to tell him before it gets dark." (HQ was the code name for where Remus went every month during his changing into a werewolf) Lily pondered this for a minute. "We'd be able to get up there and back before dark if we left after curfew, wouldn't we?"  
  
"Well, count me out, no offense to Remus or anything, but I want to get some sleep so I don't miss any of that shower." Ana sighed. She loved anything that had to do with the heavens. Sometimes her friends wondered if she were a Moon Child, although she frequently denied it.  
  
***********  
  
Later that afternoon, in the Great Hall, Ana walked up to Professor Astra with "What's in the Stars? Astronomy Foretold." book in her hand. "May I ask you a question professor?"  
  
"Certainly dear, what's on your mind?" Professor Astra looked at his best pupil.  
  
"Well, it's about this meteor shower. In my book, it says that when one sees a meteor shower, death is foretold. Also, anything passing through Cassiopeia means that the beginning of a series of events that will have a great impact on the future is about to take place. Does the headmaster believe that this may be something that we need to be concerned about?" Ana looked up at her professor concernedly.  
  
"Ah, little one, don't concern yourself with such rubbish! Dumbledore just wants us to witness a miracle of nature. Something like this only happens once in many generations. Now, off to bed with you, you don't want to be too tired to see this, do you?" With that, Professor Astra continued the preparations for viewing the stars later in the evening.   
  
Ana set off for the Gryffindor common room. She was thinking about what her book said, and what Professor Astra had told her. I somehow don't believe him. Why would something so strange be so coincidental? And why would this meteor shower be so important that the whole school would get involved? Some of us aren't even taking Astronomy! They wouldn't care if it were a meteor shower or a comet! Lost in thought, she didn't even notice Lily, James and Sirius until she almost ran them over.  
  
"Oy! Ana! Watch where you're going!" Sirius exclaimed. "What's got you so brain dead?  
  
"Sorry, Si, didn't see you there. Where are you guys off to?" Ana said.  
  
"Well," said Lily, "we're off to tell Remus about the meteor shower. Maybe he can look out his window and see it before he transforms fully." Said Lily. "I don't think he would want to miss this."  
  
"Before he transforms into what?" Severus Snape stepped out of the shadows of the corridor. He had an evil grin under his hooked nose.  
  
"Oh, eat worms and die, Snape." James said. "It's none of your business. Come on, guys, let's go back into the common room. I forgot something."  
  
Sirius hung back in the hallway and watched James's, Lily's and Ana's retreating backs. "Want to know where Remus is, Snape? Just prod the knot at the base of the Whomping Willow. You'll find a passageway under there. Follow it until the end, that is, unless you're too chicken." With that, Sirius spun on his heel and followed his friends into their common room.  
  
"Where did you go, Si? We looked behind us, and you weren't there. Snape wasn't giving you any trouble, was he?" Lily looked at Sirius in concern.  
  
"Nah, Lils. You just got your wish. I have just played a great prank on that cretin Snape." Sirius winked at Lily. "It's going to get him off of our backs for good."  
  
"What did you do, Si?" Lily's eyes got wide at the prospect of Snape being made a fool of. At that moment, Professor McGonagall walked into the common room.  
  
"What are you all still doing up? Lights out was twenty minutes ago! To bed, with all of you! Not you, Miss Eastman. Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you upstairs in his office. Hurry up, I will escort you." McGonagall's usually stern eyes seemed to soften a bit when she looked at Christina. As they left the common room, James, Lily, Sirius, and Ana, headed up to their dormitory rooms.  
  
***********  
  
"So, Si," James said later when they had already gone to bed. "What did you do to Snape? You never told us."  
  
"Oh, you're going to love it. I told Snape how to get up to HQ. By the time he gets there, Moony will scare him out of his wits!" Sirius laughed at his own joke. "I only wish that I could be there….. Say, what's wrong with you, Jay?"  
  
"Are you out of your mind??? What if Moony bites him, or worse yet, what if he kills him??? How do you think Remus will feel then??? I can't believe you did that! I have to go and stop him!" With that, James jumped off of his bed, grabbed his robes, and ran out of the room leaving Sirius to ponder what he had done..  
  
  
A/N Does this make as little sense as it seems to? I think that I may have eaten too many chocolate frogs in the process of writing this. Hmmm… Again, let me know what you think! If it's too boring, I'll quit. ~~Ryn  
  



	3. Christina's last stand

Disclaimer: Guess what! I didn't create these people! Go figure! I do however own the plot, so read on, children, read on.  
  
  
Chapter Three  
  
  
  
In another part of England, at about the same time that James was racing across school grounds, a tall, thin, man dressed in robes, entered a house in Little Hangleton. He went unnoticed by the entirety of the town, walking in through the front door as though he had owned the place. No one in that town noticed anything unusual about the manor on the hill overlooking the town, save for the gardener who lived in a run-down cottage on the grounds of the house. He only happened to be looking outside his window at the manor and noticed that the whole house had lit up with a green light. He thought nothing of it, however, due to the fact that he had always thought anyone with as much money to burn as the Riddles, had to be at least a bit peculiar. It wasn't until the next morning that the cries of a maid that entered into the drawing room that the villagers of the small town found something unusual. All three remaining Riddles had died suddenly without cause, apparently at the same time.  
  
***********  
  
James raced down the stairs, *Where should I go first? To a professor? Should I just run to the Shrieking Shack? Snape's got about a twenty minute head start on me, I only wished that Christina were here. She'd know what to do!* With those thoughts in his head, he shoved open the portrait hole, and knocked Christina over. Her eyes were red and streaked with tears. "Christina! I was just thinking about you! Come with me, I need your help!" James grabbed Christina by the sleeve of her robes, and dragged her along while telling her what had happened.   
  
"Come on, I know what to do!" Christina started racing along side James all the while wiping tears from her eyes. They ran through the school, and across the grounds, and before they knew it, they were standing outside of the Whomping Willow. "Ok, James, here's the plan; if we aren't too late, I want you to grab Snape, and hit him over the head as hard as you can. While you drag him out of the shack, I'll do my best to hold Remus off."  
  
"I can't do that, it will leave you defenseless against a full fledged werewolf! I should hold him off, I'm stronger!" James protested. "You wouldn't even be here if I hadn't grabbed you!"  
  
"You have to do it, James. I'm not strong enough to knock Snape out, and I certainly can't drag him that far. Besides, if Remus breaks through you, Snape and I are done for. At least this way, you'll get a far enough head start, and may be able to get through the Whomping Willow before me." As James sputtered and tried to think of another idea, Christina said, "one more thing, as soon as you and Snape get through the Whomping Willow, prod the knot and activate it again. Listen, DON'T WAIT FOR ME!!! I know what I'm going to do! Now, let's go!" With that, Christina prodded the knot, and raced down the passageway towards the Shrieking Shack with James following close behind her. Nearing the end of the passageway, they could hear the screams of Remus transforming, and they could just make out a wide-eyed Snape watching from outside the door of the room Remus was in.   
  
When they got to Snape, he was sputtering and in shock, "He's…. That's….. God…. But…. But… He's…. " James hit him right in the head with a spell (Stupefy!) and began to drag him down the passageway towards the Whomping Willow.  
  
"Christina, come on! We can all make it, there's still time!" James yelled over the yells coming from the other room. Christina just stood there, tears running down her face. It struck James that she looked remarkably the same as Saint Joan would have looked, waiting to be set on fire for heresy.  
  
"James," her voice sounded calm and restrained. "Go. Please, tell Remus that it wasn't his fault. I knew what I was getting into, and I accepted my fate as it was. Tell Lils, Ana, and Si that I loved them. Tell Peter to not do what he has been thinking about. He'll know what you mean. And James? I love you too."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about Christina??? You can't mean to…" James's eyes widened in horror. "Christina, no! Think of your family!" With that statement, a new batch of tears formed in Christina's eyes. The door behind her began to shudder as the massive werewolf tried to get to the human prey that he could smell just beyond the barrier.   
  
"James, go! I'll hex you, I mean it. Save yourself and Snape. Your life is meant for greater things than this, GO!" James gave one last wistful glance towards Christina, and glanced at Snape. He couldn't possibly carry both of them, and Christina had now drawn her wand, as though to make good on her offer to hex him. His decision seemed to be made for him in an instant.   
  
"Alright, Christina. I'm going. But I'm coming back for you, I swear it!" James swung Snape over his shoulder, and ran down the passageway. He could hear Christina muttering an incantation, but couldn't make out the words. As soon as he got through the Whomping Willow, he turned to go back for Christina. He prodded the knot. The passageway wouldn't open. He suddenly realized what the incantation was that Christina was muttering. She had blocked the path so that he couldn't come back in. James fell to his knees and screamed her name.   
  
Christina heard James's screams, and sighed to herself. *I love you mom and dad, I'll see you soon.* She then opened the door, and walked through to where her fate was waiting.  
  
***********  
  
Lily woke out of a deep sleep with a start. Something was wrong. She didn't know what, but she had to find out where all of her friends were. Right now. She climbed out of her bed, and noted that Ana was sleeping softly in the bed next to hers. Christina had not yet returned from Professor Dumbledore's office. *Strange, she thought, it's almost 10:30, if this meteor shower is as important as Dumbledore has made it out to be, he would have had her back by now.*  
  
She walked down the stairs, and crept into the common room. Sirius was sitting on the couch in front of the fire with a concerned look on his face.  
  
"Sirius, what's wrong. Where's James. I know something is wrong, you need to tell me." Lily was near panic when she finally reached him.   
  
Sirius looked at Lily blankly for a minute as if he were trying to figure out who she was. "He's gone to the Shrieking Shack, Lily. I don't know if he'll be back or not."  
  
Lily's eyes widened in horror. *Why would he go to the Shrieking Shack? Has he got a death wish?* Millions of thoughts ran throughout her head. Out loud to Sirius, she said simply, "Why?"  
  
Sirius's explanation began with "Please don't hate me for this, Lily. It was all a joke……"  
  
  
A/N And here it is, Chapter 3. Personally, I like this one the best. Once again, please rate and review, I have a low self esteem and need a boost to my confidence! Just kidding, I just want to know what all you wonderful wonderful people think!!! ~~Ryn  



	4. Explainations

Thank you thank you all who reviewed! You don't know how much it means to me!! I've had a bit of trouble coming up with how to start this next chapter, so bear with me, it isn't as good as I had hoped it to be.  
  
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah blah blah blah. Don't sue me.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
  
  
Lily looked around the Great Hall. All of the house banners had been replaced by black ones, and there were funeral arrangements set in front of the Gryffindor table. It was two days since the meteor shower, and rumors were flying about what had happened to Christina.   
"I heard that she was sneaking around the Forbidden Forest, and an ogre attacked her…"   
"No, I heard that she fell into the lake and was drowned by grindylows."  
"Well, I heard….."  
  
"I'm so glad that you are all so well informed," shouted Lily above all of the chatter. "But I have to remind you that a well-known student is dead, and she was a friend of mine! I would appreciate it if you would cease your gossip until you can talk about it to someone who doesn't care!" Lily burst into tears, and ran from the Great Hall, not even touching her dinner. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Ana gave the group of gossipy first years a dirty look, and followed her out.   
  
"Lily, wait up!" James put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around. Tears were streaming down her face.  
  
"Why, James, why? Why did she do it?" Lily and her friends were among the only ones who knew the truth apart from Dumbledore and McGonagall. When James had gotten back to the school with an unconscious Snape, he had run to tell Dumbledore, and then summoned his friends. Dumbledore had decided that since Sirius had lost one of his best friends, that he had not deserved any further punishment.   
  
"I don't know, Lils. I just don't know." James hung his head. Tears began to well up in his eyes too. "I should have stopped her. Something she said just made me go. I should've stayed behind instead of her." He knew that he would blame himself for the rest of his days.  
  
Remus, still pale from changing of the past few nights spoke up, "I think I may know why. Did you ever know that Christina was a seer? She knew things about each of us, she told me once. Things that she could never tell any of us. She told me some things. That's how she knew that I was a werewolf. She knew before any of you. Sometimes, she would come to me crying when she had had one of her visions. I know that she saw this coming. She came to me one night, and said that something horrible was going to happen. She didn't know why, but that we were both involved, and more than anything, I could not let myself feel at fault for it. That she had done it by choice, but she didn't know why. She wouldn't tell me what, and I had no idea that she meant anything like this. I just wish I knew why she would want to kill herself like that!"  
  
Just then, Dedalus Diggle ran down the hallway towards them. "Professor Dumbledore wants to see all of you in his office."  
  
"Oh, great," sighed Lily. "Now, on top of everything else, we're in trouble for something. What have you boys done?"  
  
"Besides the dungbombs in the Slytherin common room, nothing!" said James. He received a dirty look from Lily and Ana. "Hey, someone needed to lighten the mood around here!"  
  
***********  
  
James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Ana, and Peter sat in chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. They all had bewildered expressions on their faces. Professor Dumbledore sighed as he looked at his favorite group of mischief-makers. *These kids sure are something. They all have great potential.* "Well, I'm sure you all wonder why I asked to see you. Taking in recent events, I'm sure that you are wondering what drove Miss Eastman to suicide."  
  
Lily looked up at Dumbledore in surprise, "If you knew, sir, why didn't you tell us before?"  
  
"Well, Miss Evans, I didn't know all events until just recently, and I didn't want to tell you tidbits and leave you wondering." Dumbledore took off his glasses and polished them on his robes before continuing. "I'm not sure if any of you knew, but Christina's parents were both Aurors in the ministry. Six days ago, her home was broken into by Lord Voldemort and a few of his Death Eaters. ("Gasp!" from Ana) After two days of torture, they were murdered. Christina heard the news from me personally the same night as her demise."  
  
"Oh, poor Christina!" cried Ana. "No wonder she was so stricken!"  
  
"Well, Miss Croft, that isn't all. It seems that Lord Voldemort was after you, Miss Evans. He had discovered that you and Miss Eastman were friends here at Hogwarts. He was torturing her parents in an attempt to have them draw you home so that he could convince her to bring you to him. She must have seen that she would give in eventually, and she could not bear the thought of betraying her friend." Dumbledore paused for a minute to watch Lily.  
  
Lily smiled a soft smile as tears ran down her face. "I would have done the same for her, and she knew that. But why is he after me?"  
  
"Alas, I cannot answer that question for you my dear." Dumbledore looked at Lily sadly. He then glanced at James, smiled, and then returned his eyes to Lily's. "However, I can tell you that you have an important life in front of you!   
  
"Now, enough of my ramblings. I believe that you all have a Charms class to be in? Off with you! Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, May I have one last word?" Dumbeldore waited until the door closed behind Peter, Remus, Ana, and Lily. "Miss Evans is in a considerable amount of danger. I'm trusting you boys to look after her. She has a destiny to fulfill, and she cannot be prevented from that course taking place. Do you both understand?"  
  
"Yes sir." James and Sirius both answered.  
  
"Good. Now, go and fill up your head with something useful, and try and put Christina's death behind you. You have many things ahead of you, and dwelling on the past will not help you get through it. And, I have to go and change my socks."  
  
James and Sirius left Dumbledore's office feeling considerably better about the events in the past few days.  
  
  
  
  
A/N Well, there you go. Chapter four. Don't wear yourselves out reading! Sorry so short, but this writing thing's a bit harder than it seems! As always, please, R./R! I need as much boosting that I can take! Kisses! ~~Ryn  



	5. Fluffy

A/N Thanks to all who reviewed! Hugs and kisses to you all! Oh, Roarke, I'm sorry that there isn't that much Peter in my story, I'll try to put some more in, but I really can't stand him and I agree with you, he shouldn't be a bad guy in school. He wasn't portrayed that way in the books! As for the way Remus acted, I don't believe that he quit because something could have happened, I think he quit to relieve stress off of Dumbledore for the owls he would've received from parents. I also think that the conversation that he had with Christina would have helped ease his mind some. But thanks for the advice!  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I'm not going to put one up! Ha! So there! I'll bet you're going to sue me now, right? Go for it! Ha! You'll probably get about 47 cents! You're welcome to it! Anyway, I'm not smart enough to think it up, I'll just give my POV. It all belongs to JKR. :P  
  
  
Chapter Five  
  
  
  
Lily was beginning to feel stifled. For the past few months, everywhere she looked, James or Sirius was three feet behind her. She had even come out of the girl's toilet and found Sirius standing there waiting for her. It wasn't as though she minded the company (especially from James). She just wanted a few minutes peace. Thank goodness Christmas was coming up! She'd be able to escape to her home! With this thought in her head, she strolled down the stairs from the girl's dormitory to breakfast. At the foot of the stairs, predictably James was waiting for her.  
  
"'Lo, James. How are you this morning?" Lily said with a smile.  
  
"Fantastic, Lils! It's Saturday! What are we going to do? Want to go to Hogsmeade with me and Si?" James was practically skipping he was so excited. "Or, you and I could take a walk around the lake if you'd prefer."  
  
Lily sighed and considered her options. She needed to get some Christmas presents for her friends and family, but spending some alone time with her crush sounded good too. The latter won. "How about we take that walk? I'm not really feeling up to a lot of people today. Let's go and get some breakfast first, though, okay?"  
  
"Sure!" James's eyes brightened at the thought of being alone with Lily. He didn't really believe that she would go for that. "Let's go!"  
  
Down in the Great Hall, Sirius was already through his third helping of sausages. Ana was sitting and staring at him wide mouthed in astonishment. "I have never, in my life, seen a person eat as much as you do, Si. Where do you put it all?"  
  
Sirius grinned and answered with a mouthful of toast, "Well, see, I have this extra large leg, see, and it's hollow. Wanna see it sometime, Ana?"  
  
"Ugh, no. Sometimes I wonder why I hang out with you." *No you don't, Ana. You're hot for him* she thought. Out loud she said, "You're such a pervert."  
  
Lily laughed and sat down. She and James helped themselves to some pancakes. As the owl post flew in, a small gray school owl that she recognized as the one she just sent home dropped a letter in front of her plate. "Oh! I got a letter from home!" She quickly scanned the letter. "Oh."   
  
"Something wrong, Lils?" James looked at Lily questioningly. "Bad news?"  
  
"Not really, Jay," Lily sighed. "It's just that my parents are going away to the continent for the holidays, and if I come home, I'll be alone with Petunia. I don't think I'll be leaving after all."  
  
"That's great, Lils! Si and I are staying too! Just think of all the trouble we can get into!" James grinned widely with the prospect of it all.  
  
Lily just sighed. *Well, there goes my break from my shadows* She thought. *I'm going to have to figure out a way to get away from them* Lily put her parents' letter in her pocket, and commenced eating breakfast.  
  
When they were all finished, Sirius eating a whopping 19 sausages, Lily and James got up to leave.   
  
"What are you doing today, Lils?" Sirius asked. "Want any company?"  
  
"Lily and I are going for a walk, Si. Alone." James told him. Lily blushed as Sirius winked at them.  
  
"Oh, I see. Say, Ana, want to take a stroll through the streets of Hogsmeade with yours truly?" Sirius cocked his elbow towards Ana. Ana linked her arm through his.   
  
"Oh, I'd love for you to accompany me, sir." Ana grinned and they both got up to leave the Great Hall.  
  
"Don't you guys do anything I wouldn't do." Sirius said over his shoulder to James and Lily as he and Ana walked out the door.  
  
"Well, I guess that rules out studying, but anything else is up for grabs, eh? Let's go, Lils." James winked and the pair headed out the door. In the hallway, they passed Peter and Remus.  
  
"Where are you two off to?" asked Peter.   
  
"We're going for a walk, Wormtail," James grabbed Lily's hand and whispered in her ear. "Let's make a run for it, or else we'll never get out of here" To Peter he said, "See you later!"  
  
***********  
  
Three hours later, Lily and James lay on a blanket under a grove of trees not too far from Hagrid's hut. James had picked up several fallen leaves from the ground and put them in a bouquet and had given them to Lily. He now lay on his back on the blanket with Lily's head on his stomach. His hand was idly running through her hair. "It's going to snow soon. Can you smell it?" Lily asked.   
  
"Yeah. I'm surprised that it held off as long as it did." James sighed. "Quidditch is going to get more difficult once the snow starts to fly. We play Hufflepuff right after the holidays, you know."  
  
Lily smiled at this. She loved watching James fly. It was almost art, seeing him bob and weave through the air chasing the red quaffle around. "I can't wait to see you fly, James. It's wonderful watching. I wish that I were as good on a broom."  
  
James thought about this statement for a minute. *Could it be possible that she likes me too?* "Umm, Lily, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure James, what is it?" Lily rolled over and propped her head up onto her hands.  
  
"Do you ever think about us? I mean, you and I? Together?" James asked nervously. "Because I do. When I lay in bed at night, sometimes I do for hours." James watched her face for any sort of emotion; delight, distaste.  
  
"Well, James, I guess that I do. Do you think we should do something about it?" Lily sat up, and began toying with her hair.   
  
James sat up too, and kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled away a little, and looked at Lily for some sort of response. He saw what he was looking for in her bright green eyes, and kissed her again. This kiss lasted a little longer. Soft, plucking bites to her lips, he then ran his lips down her cheek and kissed that soft spot at the top of her neck where her heart beat hotly. He then traveled up to her ear, and took the lobe of it into his mouth. Lily's lips parted with a quiet sigh. James's mouth found hers again, and plunged his tongue into her mouth.   
  
When their mouths parted, Lily gasped, "Wow. I guess that was a yes."  
  
James laughed and smiled. "Yeah, I guess it was."  
  
"James?" Lily said provocatively.  
  
"Yes, Love?" James said leaning in for another kiss. Lily stalled him with a hand to his chest.  
  
"This is great and all, but I'm freezing. Can we go in now?" Lily looked at James's puppy dog sad face. "Well, okay, in a few minutes."  
  
***********  
  
When James and Lily finally made it back to the Gryffindor common room two hours later, Sirius and Ana were already back from Hogsmeade. "We were about to send out a search party for the two of you!" Sirius said. He looked at James with a knowing look. "Been staying out of trouble, kids?"  
  
"Oh, shut up, Si." Said Ana. She took one look at Lily, and said, "Oooh. Come on, Lils, girl talk time." She grabbed Lily's hand and they took off towards the stairs to the girl's dormitory leaving behind a bewildered James and a laughing Sirius.  
  
"So, Jamsie poo, what have you two been up to?" James slugged Sirius in the arm.   
  
"I think I should be asking you the same question. You and Ana seemed to be pretty cozy there on the couch." James grinned at Sirius.  
  
Sirius looked offended. "A true gentleman never kisses and tells!"  
  
James winked at Sirius. "Gotcha."  
  
***********  
  
"Lily, what's going on between you and James? You guys were gone forever!" Lily and Ana were sitting on Lily's bed in the girl's dormitory. "Are you guys officially a couple now?"  
  
"I guess so, Ana. It's funny, though. I never really thought about us as a couple. Oh, sure, I've had a crush on him since about our second year, but we've been best friends since first year! I don't know if this is going to work out! What if we break up, and it totally ruins our friendship? I don't know if I could handle that. He means so much to me!" Lily flopped to her back and lay staring up at the ceiling. "I just don't want anything to come between us."  
  
"Oh, Lily." Ana said wistfully. "I don't know what to say."  
  
  
A/N Here's a little bit of fluff as asked for by Daisy. Thanks for the great reviews guys! I promise to get back on the plot in the next chapter!!!  
  



	6. Lily escapes

Disclaimer: I am not JKR (go figure) this stuff does not belong to me (go figure some more) don't sue me, you won't get much! (there's another go figure in that also)  
  
  
  
Chapter Six  
  
  
  
Three days before Christmas, Lily sat playing wizard chess in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room with Remus. James, Sirius and Ana were arguing about the national quidditch team's chances of making the World Cup this year. Snow was flying furiously outside of Hogwarts, and Lily was beginning to get cabin fever. *I need to get away from these guys. I haven't had a moment's peace for months now. Sure, sneaking off with James isn't that bad, but I really need to get some space!* So, Lily began to form a plan in her head. "Checkmate, Remus. I'm going to the library for a while. I'll be back later."  
  
"Wait, Lils!" said James. "I'll come with you! I need to find a book for my DADA essay."  
  
Lily sighed. Well, he was nothing except predictable. "Alright then, anybody else?"  
  
Sirius and piped up. "I will!" and with that, they all set off for the library.  
  
***********  
  
They had just gotten to the library, and set up their books. Lily was searching through her bags. "I've forgotten my Charms essay. I'll be right back." Lily jumped up and sprinted out of the library before the boys could react.   
  
"Do you think one of us should go after her?" James asked.  
  
"What kind of trouble could she get into?" said Sirius. "The common room's only a little ways away. What do you think about giving Snape a little holiday cheer?" Sirius went on about something to do with dungbombs and the Slytherin bathrooms, while James's eyes strayed repeatedly towards the door.  
  
***********  
  
*Free! Free at last!* thought Lily. *Where should I go?* Lily decided to take as much advantage of her newfound freedom. She took out her wand, (dropping a hanky embroidered with lilies on the ground) deciding on impulse where to go, tapped the one-eyed crone's statue, and said "Dissendium!" and disappeared down the passageway towards Hogsmeade.   
  
Once in Hogsmeade, she headed towards the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer to contemplate what she would do for a while. *I think I'll go and buy something from the Quidditch shop for James for Christmas. I haven't really found him that special kind of gift for him yet.* She sat down at a table after getting a butterbeer from Madam Rosmerta, and watched the strange customers at the bar. The door opened, and Professors McGonagall, and Flitwick entered through the door. Lily's eyes widened. *Damn, I can't let them see me here. Figures, I sneak away from Hogwarts dozens of times with James and Si and never get caught, the first time I do it on my own, and I get busted. Well, I'm going to have to figure a way out of this.* She sat in a corner, unnoticed for a while, and then it came to her. "Relashio!" Professor Flitwick's glass cracked right down the middle, and spilled its contents all over their table. In the confusion that followed, she drew her cloak up, over her head, and crept out the door.  
  
The streets of Hogsmeade were covered in snow, and more had begun to fall from the sky. *It's so pretty here. It looks like the front of a Christmas card!* she sighed. *I guess that I kind of wish James was here to see this with me. I shouldn't have ditched him today… Wait a minute, yes I should have. I haven't been on my own since, well, since Christina's "accident." I deserve some space.* With that angry thought in her head, she walked towards the quidditch shop, and all thoughts of Hogsmeade's holiday beauty were wiped from her head.  
  
Lily had purchased a lovely set of stray twig clippers with James's name on it, and a few other items for him when she had finally left the shop. "Gosh, it's getting dark now, I had better go back to the school before anyone starts to worry," she said to no one in particular. "I've been gone for longer than I intended!"  
  
A particularly cold voice sounded from behind her, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about getting back to school now, Miss Evans. They won't be seeing you there again."  
  
***********  
  
"Hey, Si?" James asked. "How long has Lils been gone?" He couldn't remember how long they had been discussing a prank on the Slytherins.  
  
"It's been a while now. We've progressed from dungbombs in the bathroom to Filibuster's Fireworks in their broom closet." Sirius said thoughtfully. "You don't think something has happened to her, do you?"  
  
"Probably not." James thought for a moment. "She probably just got caught up talking with Ana, and forgot that we were down here. All the same, I'd rather go and check on her."  
  
"Alright, I'm right behind you," Sirius laughed. "Oh what we men do for love!" James and Sirius got up from the table, grabbed their schoolbooks, and Lily's, and left the library. In the Gryffindor common room, they found Ana, having a heated discussion with Remus and Peter about the proper way to do a summoning charm.  
  
"No, Peter, like this. Acc-I-o! With an accent over the I. It will work out much better for you." Ana smirked. *Peter is so horrible at magic. He may as well as been a squib!*   
  
"I think I have it now, accio!" Peter cried. Still, the book stayed on the table. "Dammit!"  
  
"You're doing it wrong, Peter," Remus said. "I don't know why you're listening to her, I'm the one who taught her how to do it in the first place!" Ana stuck her tongue out at Remus. She knew he didn't mean it unkindly.  
  
"Hey, guys, what's up?" Sirius said. "Trying to teach an old rat new tricks?" He laughed at his own joke.  
  
"You guys haven't seen Lily, have you?" asked James. He was beginning to worry. He was sure that she would be here with their friends.  
  
"No," replied Ana. "We thought that she was with you guys. Didn't you all leave together?"  
  
"We went to the library, but she had left her Charms essay here and headed back for it." Now James was really beginning to worry.  
  
"She never came back here, Jay," said Remus. "I haven't left the common room since you guys went to the library."  
  
James and Sirius gave each other worried looks. Seeing their faces, Ana said, "What's going on guys?" Sirius quickly told them about how Dumbledore had told them to look after Lily.  
  
"… and now, she's missing. I'm sure it's nothing," assumed Sirius. "But we had better try and find out where she is. We'll split up into groups, and meet back here in twenty minutes."  
  
"Right. Remus and I will take the kitchens," said Peter.  
  
"Ana, you should check the girl's dormitory, just in case she got in without Remus seeing her. Then maybe the girl's bathrooms. Si and I will check the hallways." James and the rest of the group split up and began to search their designated areas.  
  
  
  
A/N Ding ding ding ding ding! Do I hear a plot? I hope so. Thank you thank you thank you to all who reviewed! It means so very very much to me!  



	7. Where's Lily?

Disclaimer: I don't own this. It ain't mine.  
  
  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
  
  
*What is that noise?* Lily thought. *It sounds like the roof is leaking. How could it be leaking at Hogwarts? Nothing like that has ever happened here before. Oh, my head. It feels like a million house elves are pounding pots together. Or maybe some gnomes are chewing my brains. Yeah, that's it. Gnomes are chewing my brains. I'll have to go see Madam Pomfrey before I go to class. Why am I so cold?* Lily's eyes popped open. The previous events raced through her mind. Voldemort. He had been in Hogsmeade with her. *So, where am I now? It's so dark!* Lily waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She could make out a thick wooden door and a fireplace against one wall. The room was more dark and dank than the potion's dungeon. There was a leak coming from somewhere above her head. But none of that, however, told her where she was. Or how long she would be there. There was a pitcher and a loaf of bread on a tray on the floor near the fireplace. There was wood in the fireplace too! She walked over to it. She picked up two sticks. *This would be a lot easier with my wand. Thank goodness I was in Girl Scouts!* (A/N Are there Girl Scouts in England? I think so…) She pulled a stray string at the hem of her robes and wrapped it around the smaller of the two sticks. After about twenty minutes, she had a bit of a fire going. In no time, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace flooding the room with warmth. *Mrs. Clocker would be so proud that I remembered how to do that!*   
  
"Well, I see that you have made yourself at home, Lily darling." Lily turned to see where the voice was coming from. Behind her, in a large green leather armchair, sat Voldemort. "I'm sorry to make you feel so uncomfortable, but this is the only room in my home that doesn't have an outside window. If you would like, I could conjure a few items that would make you feel more comfortable. I wanted to wait until you were awake so that I could let you choose what you wanted in here. I would like you to be happy here, Lily, as you will be here for a very long time."  
  
"Fat chance of that, my friends will save me," Lily stuck her chin out in defiance. "I'll only be staying here for a short time." Lily spun on her heel, crossed her arms and faced the fire.  
  
Voldemort laughed. "Oh, Lily, what a wonderful wife you are going to make me! Our children will be the most powerful in the world!"  
  
Lily spun around, her eyes wide in astonishment, "Children?! You must be crazier than I thought! I'll never have children with you, and I'll never be your wife!"  
  
"Oh, you will my love, you will. But first, I have to make you more comfortable. Obliviate!!" Voldemort drew his wand, and cast his spell.  
  
***********  
  
Twenty minutes later, Ana was pacing nervously in front of the Gryffindor common room fire. Remus and Peter climbed through the portrait hole. "Did you find anything?" Ana asked.  
  
"No, what about you?" Peter said.  
  
"Nothing." Ana hung her head, which popped back up as the common room portrait hole opened again. James and Sirius were back. They had a grim look on their faces. "What is it? Did you find her?"  
  
"No. We found this," James held up Lily's hanky. "It was just outside of the Hogsmeade passageway. There's no other sign of her."  
  
Ana began to cry. "What do we do now?"  
  
"I think that's obvious. We need to go to Dumbledore." Remus said. "He'll know what to do."  
  
"You're right on one, Mr. Lupin. You needed to come to me straight away. However, I do not know what to do." Remus, James, Sirius, Peter, and Ana turned to see Dumbledore standing in the portrait hole. "I do not know what to do but wait."  
  
***********  
  
She awoke in a large canopied bed in a large warm room. She sat up and looked around her. *Where am I? Why am I so weak?* She glanced around the room. It was decorated in blue. At the foot of the canopied bed was a dark blue settee with a green robe draped over it. Across the room, in a large blue armchair, a somewhat familiar man lay asleep. He looked as if he had not slept in many days. There were dark circles under his eyes, and the color of his skin was milk white. "Excuse me," she said timidly. *Why does my voice hurt so?* The man jumped to life.  
  
"Violet, my darling! You're awake! Oh, thank goodness!" The man rushed to her bedside. "I was so afraid! The doctors said that you might not make it after the accident! I'm so relieved!"   
  
*Violet? My name's Violet? That doesn't sound quite right. If I'm Violet, then who is he?* "I'm sorry sir, but do I know you?" Violet stared at the man. *He looks so familiar, and yet, not right.   
  
The man took a step backwards, eyes wide with shock. "You don't remember? Anything? I'm your fiancé! Do you mean that you can't remember the accident?"  
  
"No, I don't remember you, or any accident. I'm sorry," Violet began to cry. "Could you please tell me, sir, who you are, and how I came to be here?"  
  
"Oh, god, Violet, the doctors said that you probably wouldn't remember much of the accident, but I never expected this. My name's Tom. You were in a horrible automobile accident with your parents. It was so bad that they were killed. I'm sorry to tell you this, but you need to know. I don't see the point of drawing it out. You have been unconscious here for about three weeks. We really didn't know if you were going to make it or not. It was really touch and go there for a while. Oh, Violet, I'm so glad that you're alright!" Tom reached out to hug her, but she recoiled.  
  
"I'm sorry Tom, this is all so new to me. I just don't know what to think of it all. I'm so tired. And my parents! Dead? I just don't know! I'm tired now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep." Violet rolled on her side, away from Tom, and closed her eyes.  
  
"That's alright, love, I understand. I'm going to call the doctor, though, so he can come and look you over. Maybe you'll remember something when you wake up?" Tom looked at her with concern.  
  
"Mmmm." Violet curled up into a ball. She stamped her eyes tight. *What is going on here???*  
  
***********  
  
"Professor, why does Voldemort want Lily?" hours after Lily's disappearance, the five friends were sitting in Dumbledore's office waiting for word.   
  
"Well, James, I still cannot tell you that…" Dumbledore began.  
  
"That's bullshit, professor, and you know it." James balled his fists up "You can tell us, and you need to tell us. Maybe we would have some insight as to why she was abducted. Maybe that would tell us if she's even alive!"  
  
"Alright, Mr. Potter, if you sit down, and calm down, I will tell you," Dumbledore's eyes flashed angrily. He understood the youth's anger, he was feeling it himself. That did not change the fact that he was unaccustomed to being cursed at. "I guess I can begin by telling about Lily's lineage. This is not to leave this room, however, she must never know of this. Is that understood?" The five friends nodded their assent. Dumbledore continued on.   
  
"Lily is not the first muggle in her family to become a witch or wizard. In fact, there is one born every ten generations. The exact age of her wizarding family is truly unknown. But we do know (those of us who remain in the circle of wizards who know of such families, and yes there are more out there), that a witch did the beginning of the end of wizards in her line about 1000 years ago. You have probably heard of her. Her name was Morgana.   
  
"Morgana had great power. When she was a youth, she married, and bore children. She feared that her children would be as wronged as she was herself, always in the shadow of her younger brother Merlin. She was always viewed as the evil one, even when she was young, and was not quite evil yet. She could not dissolve all of her power and deny her children their birthrights, but she could make sure that the power was so spaced apart that there was no chance of overshadowing. So it is that every tenth generation, a wizard is born in Lily's family.   
  
"Lily is the first female to be born in that lineage since Morgana herself. We believe that Lily's children will be wizards also. We also believe that these wizards will be among the most powerful ever. Even more so than Voldemort or I ever could be. Voldemort believes this, and we think that this is why he has taken Lily. To bear him children that will help him take over the world and prepare a genocide of the muggles and so-called impure witches and wizards." Dumbledore waited for this to set in before he dealt the really big blow. "One more thing. We do not know this for certain, but, it seems that in some other families, the mother must be killed while the child is still an infant for this child to grow up to be as powerful as foretold. Only such great tragedies can allow for the power to be channeled enough to seep through."   
  
"Oh, god. Lily." Ana had her face buried in her hands. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter just sat stone faced with shock   
  
"So, what are we going to do?" James's anger had returned full force. "We can't just sit here and do nothing! There has to be some way to find her!"  
  
"There is one way. To find Lily, we must first find Voldemort." Dumbledore looked at James. He had a questioning look on his face. "Are you prepared to go that far?"  
  
  
A/N Well, what do you think so far? Let me know!!  



	8. Violet's Dreams

Disclaimer: Do you people even read these things? Just in case you do, It's not mine.  
  
  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
  
  
Violet sat in a lush blue sitting room with one of her maids. They were making out invitations to her upcoming wedding in three months. Tom walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "How are we doing love?" Violet put her hand on his and turned around. She stood up and gave him a very passionate kiss.  
  
"Oh, Tom, I am so excited!" Violet still had her hands on his shoulders. "In a few months, we'll be husband and wife. We have a problem, though. Krysta Nott's bridesmaid's dress came in today, and it is totally the wrong color! No, don't worry, we'll sort it out here. So, what are you going to do today?"  
  
"Well, darling, I have some business to attend to out of town today." Tom looked at her and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be home for supper." With that, he kissed Violet on the cheek, and turned to walk out the door. On impulse, he turned and said, "I love you, Violet."  
  
"I love you too, Tom." Lily sat back down and looked at her maid. "I had another one of those dreams last night, Mary. The one where I'm somewhere else, and with someone else. Do you think that they have anything to do with something that has happened in my past?"  
  
"I wouldn't worry none about it miss, your memory will return in it's own time." Mary and Violet had become great friends in the days that had followed her accident. "Until then, what would you like me to fix you for breakfast?"  
  
"Oh, just some toast and coffee, Mary," Violet sighed and looked out the window. "Don't bring it for a while. I'm still a little tired. I think that I will lay back down for a while." She walked over to her bed and lay down upon the coverlet. Almost instantly, she was asleep.  
  
This dream was much like the others. That boy was there again. She had rested her head on his stomach, and they were lying in field. It was cold there, and the skies were gray, but there was no snow on the ground. *It must be very late fall there.* Violet looked at the boy, he had disheveled black hair, and large brown eyes behind a pair of black rimmed glasses. He was talking to her, but she could not make out what he was saying. "I can't hear you!" she screamed in her dream. The boy leaned in and kissed her. When he pulled away, he looked very sad. His eyes seemed to be saying that she was leaving him. She didn't want to leave him. She felt very safe with him. Then, they were pulled apart, as if each were on a conveyor belt headed for different destinations. She tried to get up and go back to him, but her legs wouldn't move.   
  
She was transported to another place. That same boy was there, but there were three other boys. She had the same feeling of contentment. They were in a small room, and they were moving. It seemed that they were in a train compartment this time. One boy, a pale, light brown haired boy was pulling a deck of cards from his robe. They were all talking companionably but yet again, she could not hear what they were saying. Suddenly, a group of three other boys came in with strangely colored hair and started saying something to Violet. They were angry. So were the other four boys in her compartment. They jumped up from where they were playing cards and confronted the multicolored boys as if to challenge them to a fight. *Are they fighting over me? How very odd. They must've said something bad.* She instantly disliked the boys that had burst in.  
  
Once again, the conveyor belt was dragging her away. The place she was in now, felt completely different from all of the other dreams that she had been having. She wasn't in a room, but a place covered in fog. It was cold there. She was lost, and beginning to get scared. She was completely alone. She started yelling for someone to come and get her. Someone grabbed her hand.  
  
"Miss?" Mary was shaking her. "Miss? Are you all right? You were screaming in your sleep!"  
  
"Yes, Mary," It took Violet a while to adjust herself to her surroundings. She noticed that the comfortable feelings that she had in her dreams had left her. She wasn't afraid there, but it wasn't right. She realized that she had never had those feelings here. "I was just dreaming again."  
  
***********  
  
"I'm beginning to think that we shouldn't wait on the ministry to find her," James was pacing the Gryffindor common room. "They know where Voldemort is, but they want to wait to go in and search for Lily. I can't imagine what they want to wait for."  
  
"James, you can't just rush into a castle such as Voldemort's and demand to be allowed to search the premises for a missing schoolgirl," Remus tried to console his friend. "Besides, what else can we do?"  
  
"I say we just go and get her," Sirius was twirling his wand between his fingers.  
  
"Oh, sure Si," Remus said. "We just go up to Voldemort's door and say 'Excuse me Mr. Lord of all Evil, could you please give us back Miss Lily Evans? We miss her, and James is about to dry up for lack of feminine attention.' Great idea, Si."  
  
"Wait a minute, Remus, that gives me an idea," James had a thought.  
  
"You can't be serious, James, that's a crazy idea!" Remus looked at James with astonishment.  
  
"He's not serious, I am," smiled Sirius. "What are you thinking, Prongs?"  
  
"Well, here's my idea…" James filled his friends in on what could be the most crazy and dangerous idea that the Marauders had ever come up with.  
  
***********  
  
"Mary said that she is still having dreams of Hogwarts, Andrew." Tom grimaced. "Isn't there anything that I can do?"  
  
A tall, thin redheaded man thought for a minute. Evil seemed to seep from every pore. A person could just get cold by looking at him. He had thin lips, and ice blue eyes hidden behind wire rimmed glasses that would pierce right through a person. Even muggles who looked at him knew that death would soon follow his appearance. This is probably why he enjoyed tormenting them so. "Well, my lord, " he began with a nasal voice. "Dreams are very tricky. One could perform the most powerful memory charms on a person, and yet not even begin to penetrate into their dreams. You're doing the best thing that can be done. Keep dispelling these dreams as figments of her imagination from the trauma of the accident. You did wipe her entire memory away! If you tried anything else, you might damage her mind completely, and she would be useless to you. You don't want that quite yet, do you?" Andrew's smile was thin and grim.   
  
"You're right, of course. I just don't want her to remember anything from her past life. At least until she is married. I could use the Imperious charm on her, but if she regains her memory, then she will be able to annul the marriage. If she did it of her own free will, she won't be able to divorce me without just cause." (A/N I know this isn't quite true legally, but go with it, it fits the story) Tom smiled. He couldn't wait to wed and bed the beautiful girl. "Thank you for your help, Andrew. It does something to set my mind at ease."   
  
"Any time, my lord, any time," Andrew nearly tripped over his long legs trying to escort his master to the door. "You know that I am one of your most devote followers."  
  
"And you shall be rewarded for it when the time comes," Tom held out his hand. Andrew's eyes lit up to be able to shake his master's hand. "Very much so."  
  
***********  
  
Three nights after the last full moon, at midnight, James, Sirius and Remus, crept up to girl's dormitory under James's invisibility cloak. They pulled back the curtains on Ana's bed. Sirius sat down and gave the girl a small shake. "Ana?" He whispered.  
  
"Hmmm?" came the reply from under the covers. "Whassamatta?"  
  
"Ana, we're leaving now, we just wanted to say goodbye, and to watch for owls from us."  
  
Ana reached up and gave the three a hug. "Where's Peter? I thought that he was going with you."  
  
"The stupid git got stuck in the trick stair and broke his arm." James said ruefully. "He's in the hospital wing tonight, and we can't wait for him. We have to leave now."  
  
"We want to give you these," Remus held out three envelopes. "They're letters to our parents. Just in case…"  
  
"Oh, Remus, don't say that," Ana cried. "I don't think I could bear it if I lost all of you! Especially if you left me alone with Peter!" She gave them a little wink. "Be very careful, you guys, I love you!"  
  
The boys left the girl's dormitory and headed out the portrait hole to begin their journey. James pulled out his wand and tapped on the old crone's hump that was the entranceway to Hogsmeade. "Dissendium!" He said grimly. The boys gave one last glance at the hallways. Would this be the last time that they would see them? They hoped not.  
  
  
A/N Sorry about getting rid of Peter, but I thought that if I brought him along, I might be tempted to leave him in the clutches of some foul mythical beast. If I did that, he wouldn't be around to betray Lily and James in a few years. And then there would be not Harry Potter books. That, would be, a HUGE disaster!!!  



	9. Marauders to the Rescue

Disclaimer: Not mine! Belongs to her! (JKR, that is) Enjoy!  
  
  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
  
  
After dinner Violet and Tom had strolled through the gardens on his large estate. This had become a regular event, and during this time, Violet often asked Tom questions about her life before the accident. She had found out that she was born in Essex, but she had grown up somewhere in Wales. Tom wasn't sure where. She didn't have any brothers or sisters, or any living relative for that matter. All of her grandparents had died before she was born. Her best friend in the whole world since she was a child was Krysta Nott. She had a brother, and she had had a crush on him for a long time. That is until she met Tom in Diagon Alley about two years ago. She had been at an ice cream parlor, waiting for Krysta to show up, and Tom tripped and dumped a chocolate sundae on her head. He apologized and cleaned her up with a spell. They laughed about it then. Every night, Tom asked her two questions, "Have you remembered anything?" This question she always answered no to. "Do you love me?" She always threw her arms around him, kissed him and answered YES! All the while, she had a strange feeling of not belonging.  
  
Violet now sat in front of her dressing table, brushing her hair, and looking in the mirror. *How could I not love Tom?* she asked herself this question every night. *He has been so wonderful to me! I just don't understand these feelings that I have been having. It must be pre wedding jitters. Yes, that's exactly what it must be.* Lily stuck her tongue out at herself in the mirror, and got up to go to bed.  
  
The dreams began again as soon as her eyes closed. She found herself sitting in a large red and gold room in front of a fire playing chess with the pale boy. They were talking and laughing, but again, she could not hear anything that was going on. She won, and stood up and addressed the boys in the room with her. Then, two of them got up with her. They all walked through a hole in the wall. When she walked through the hole, she was lost in the fog again.  
  
She heard a voice, "Lily?"  
  
***********  
  
It was dark when the three marauders advanced on Lord Voldemort's lair. Their plan was ready to be set into action. They chose a lookout on a mountain under a grove of pine trees. The sky around the castle looked dark and ominous with clouds hanging above the turrets like death over a cemetery. They could sense it. The evil. It was there, and they were going to do their best to put a stop to it.  
  
"That's the castle, Padfoot." James looked at his friend. "Are you ready?"  
  
"About as ready as I'll ever be." Right before their eyes, Sirius transformed into a large black dog. He jumped up and put his paws on Remus's chest.  
  
"Aww, nice puppy. Sweet puppy, be a good puppy, and go and find Lily now, okay?" Remus scratched him behind the ears. Sirius replied by licking his face. "We'll have to deal with this crush you have on me later, there, boy-o." Sirius replied to this by biting Remus's nose and growling. "Just kidding, Padfoot, just kidding."  
  
Padfoot jumped down and trotted toward the backdoor of the castle. He could smell wonderful things coming from the kitchen door. He walked up to it, sat down and began to whimper. He waited, albeit not patiently, pacing in front of the door, for someone to open it and feed the lonely stray.  
  
Someone opened the door. "Here, now, who're you?" Mary, Violet's maid, reached down and scratched behind Padfoot's ears. "Are you hungry little one?" Mary turned to go back into the kitchen, and Padfoot followed. He looked around. He noticed Mary talking to several house elves. There was a door leading to what could only be a pantry as house elves were running in and out with food. There was another door that he presumed led to the rest of the house. *This is too easy.* Sirius thought. Mary laid a plate of cooked chicken in front of him. Sirius ate it ravenously. *I wonder how long it will take until I find something about Lily. Tomorrow, I'll look for the dungeons.*   
  
***********  
  
James and Remus hunkered down underneath a small tree. "Do you think he's in yet?" Remus asked. "You don't think something bad happened, do you?"  
  
"Well, we'll know in the morning." James replied. "He can't just waltz in and out, they'll think something is up." Still, James worried about his friend. Little did they know, Sirius was eating baked chicken while they were splitting an orange.   
  
"It's damn cold out here." Remus said. "I wish we had thought about that and brought warmer cloaks."  
  
"Well, how was I supposed to know that we'd be sitting on top of a mountain?" James whined. "I just saw the map. It wasn't geographical. Here, curl up underneath my invisibility cloak and try to get some sleep. I'll keep first watch and wake you when I get too tired. Pity we can't light a fire, Moony, they'd be able to see it from the castle."  
  
"Well, if you're sure, Prongs. I think that I will." Remus yawned. "I'm still tired from the full moon." Remus lay down on the soft pine needles under the tree. He pulled James's invisibility cloak around his shoulders. James thought that he looked very peculiar with only his head showing, but he had gotten used to it. He leaned against the tree and pondered what would happen to both his friends if Sirius got caught.  
  
***********  
  
Violet awoke with a start. She couldn't remember her dreams, but she could still feel disconcerted from her last one. Sunlight was streaming through her bedroom window, making her room seem more cheerful. It was morning already. There was a fire burning in the fireplace across from her bed, but it did nothing to warm her. There was a definite chill in her bones from her dream.   
  
Mary walked in, closely followed by a big black dog. Violet's eyes lit up, "Who's this?" she smiled.  
  
Mary scratched Padfoot behind the ears. "He's a stray that was at the kitchen door last night. We fed him, and he seems pretty friendly. I thought that I might bring him up here to keep you company."  
  
Violet fell to the floor and rubbed the dog's face. "He's so adorable! What's his name?" The dog placed his front paws on her lap and licked her face.  
  
"Well, we haven't given him any name yet." Mary said. "We thought that if you liked him, you could have that honor."  
  
Violet looked into the large brown eyes of the dog. They seemed somewhat familiar, but she could not figure out why. "I think that he looks like a Snuffles, don't you?"   
  
"Of course, miss. Snuffles it is." Mary patted the dog's head. "Maybe I should take him outside now, miss. He hasn't been out all morning."  
  
"Alright, Mary. If you see Tom, please let him know that I would like to have breakfast with him if he isn't too busy. I need to know what kind of flowers that he wants for our wedding, Also, the thank you notes came in yesterday, and they spelled my name V-I-O-L-E-T-T-E instead of V-I-O-L-ET. I need to send them back, but I want him to look at them to see if he wants any other changes made," Lily began to take off her nightgown. Snuffles averted his eyes. "Oh, look, Mary, what a perfect gentleman! He looked away when I took off my dressing gown. How cute!"  
  
Mary laughed, "A perfect gentleman he is. He didn't even growl when the milkman came. He just looked at him. I don't think that we'll have any trouble from this one. You could almost think differently, though, he has a mischievous look in those eyes of his." Mary walked to the door. "Come on, Snuffles, we'll let you go outside, and then, I'll get you some breakfast." Snuffles snorted in Violet's direction, and followed Mary out the door.  
  
***********  
  
Walking out the garden gate, Padfoot trudged up the path towards the other boys' hideout. He had to be quick; they would be expecting him back shortly. He almost screamed when he came upon James's head laying disembodied underneath a pine tree, and Remus no where to be found. He heard a rustling in the trees off to his right. Remus came out, zipping up his pants.   
  
"Hi there, Padfoot, old pal," Remus watched while Padfoot turned into Sirius. "Did you get in?"  
  
"Yes," Sirius cast a weary glance towards James's head. "Um, he *is* underneath his invisibility cloak, isn't he?"   
  
"Ya, Oi! James, get up, Si is back!" Remus kicked at James, whose eyes popped wide open. They were red, as though he had not gotten much sleep.  
  
"Si, what's the news on Lily?" James threw the invisibility cloak off of him, and sat up quickly.   
  
"Well," Sirius began, "I think that you had both better sit down. Here's the story. I got to the castle last night, and begged for some food like we planned. They took an instant liking to the adorable, polite, well groomed, handsome, well endowed, ("enough already, Si, we get the picture" James groaned.) black dog. They fed me, and let me spend the night in the kitchen with the house elves. I had planned to search the house for the dungeons tonight after everyone had gone to bed, but this morning, a maid named Mary asked me to follow her because she thought that there was someone that would like to meet me. I followed her, and she brought me right to Lily. ("That's great!" said Remus) Not exactly, Moony. Lily didn't recognize me. How many times did she see me transform? She would know me in a pound. She also seemed to be very happy there. Ok, now, here's the really bad part, James. She thinks that her name is Violet, and she's planning to marry some guy named Tom." Sirius waited for this to settle in on James. He took it remarkably well, Sirius thought. He pulverized a pinecone that he had been toying with during Sirius's speech into dust, and screamed his head off. "Look, guys, I'll have to get back. They'll be expecting me soon. I'm Lily's new house pet."  
  
"Alright, Si, look," Remus was eyeing James carefully as he said this. "We'll give you two days to come back. Find out as much as you can about this Tom character, and try to find out the date of the wedding. And make sure that Lily really thinks that she is Violet, and that this isn't some act that she is putting on. Be careful, old friend."  
  
Sirius transformed back into Padfoot, looked at James regretfully, and trotted back down the path towards the castle.  
  
  
  
A/N How do you like it so far? I was struck deaf dumb and blind for a while with writer's block, but now the thoughts are flowing freely. I almost didn't want to stop here! But, I love leaving on a cliffhanger!~~Ryn  



	10. Lily Awakens

Disclaimer: Take a wild guess. Hey! You're right! I'm not JKR, and I don't own the characters. The twisted storyline, does belong to me.  
  
  
  
Chapter 10  
  
  
  
Padfoot walked back to the castle. Mary was waiting at the door for him. "I had just about given up on you, little one!" Mary said. "What would you like for breakfast? Fish or beef?" Padfoot barked at the latter. Mary laughed. "A body would think that you could understand me! Now, you be a good doggie, and eat your breakfast while I take some tea to the master and give him Miss Violet's message."  
  
Padfoot sniffed mournfully at the plate of roast beef that Mary had laid at his feet. With one last glance he followed Mary to the door. "Not hungry, are you? Well, I'll have Kiki put your plate up for later." She gestured to the house elf who scurried over and picked up his plate. Padfoot gazed sadly at the retreating house elf's back. Breakfast would have to wait.  
  
Padfoot followed Mary out of the kitchen and down a dark hallway. At the end they entered through a thick wooden door and into a dimly lit study. There were thousands of books. Several of them were so old that the binding was falling off. In front of a large ominous fireplace was a huge leather red armchair facing away from them. Padfoot presumed that was where Tom was.   
  
"Sir?" Mary began. "Miss Violet wanted me to tell you that she wishes to have breakfast with you this morning if you are not too busy. She has plans about the wedding that she would like to discuss with you."  
  
"Tell her that I cannot make it to breakfast with her, unfortunately," Padfoot's eyes widened as he recognized the voice. *That's Voldemort!!* "Tell me Mary, Is Violet still having those nightmares?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Mary answered. Sirius realized that Mary either didn't realize who she was speaking with, or that she was under some sort of spell as well. "She says that she cannot remember them, however. Just the feelings that she gets from them."  
  
"What feelings are those?" Voldemort rose from his chair to look at Mary as Padfoot ducked behind a black velvet settee. He didn't want the dark lord to see him and grow suspicious.  
  
"Well, sir," Mary became a little uncomfortable under her master's steady gaze. "She says that she can't put the feelings into words, but I have noticed, however, that sometimes when she wakes up, she seems very content and comfortable until she realizes where she is. Other times she seems to be relieved to wake up here.  
  
Voldemort pondered this for a while. "I see. Well, Mary, would you please tell Violet that I'll be out of town for the next few days. I'll be back on Saturday." Voldemort turned to sit back down in his chair. "Oh, and tell her that whatever she decides for the wedding will be fine by me." He waved Mary away and sat back down in his armchair. Padfoot ran out the door with Mary while Voldemort thought about what Mary had told him about Violet's dreams. *I wonder why her dreams vary so much? I'll have to go and see Andrew on my trip. I can't let her memory return before the wedding. Maybe Andrew will have some advice on how to plump up the memory charm that I gave her.* Voldemort laughed to himself. *If the Ministry of Magic only knew that their foremost expert on memory charms is in league with me!*  
  
***********  
  
*I have got to get to James and Remus!* thought Padfoot. *This may be the chance we've been waiting for to get Lily out of here!* Padfoot trotted alongside Mary as she headed back to the kitchen to order a solitary breakfast for Violet. Padfoot ran to the kitchen door. He jumped upon it, and began scratching frantically. "I take it that you have to go outside. Well, keep your pants on!" Mary laughed at her own joke as she opened up the door to let Padfoot out. "Lunch is in an hour, Snuffles!" Mary yelled after Padfoot who was sprinting up the mountain path. "I wonder where he goes every time he leaves here." Mary said to no one in particular. While Mary was pondering this, Padfoot was almost upon the Marauder's camp.  
  
Remus and James were each eating a handful of trail mix when Padfoot found them. He transformed himself into Sirius quickly and sat down nest to Remus. He snagged a couple of raisins from Remus and told them about Tom being Voldemort, and how he would be out of town for the next few days. "I have a plan, guys, but we don't have much time."  
  
***********  
  
Mary walked into Violet's sitting room with a covered tray. "I'm sorry, miss, but the master won't be able to join you for breakfast. In fact, he wanted me to tell you that he was going out of town for the next few days, and won't be back until Saturday." Mary sat the tray down on the table. "He also said that he left the wedding preparations up to you." Mary looked at Violet's dejected face. "Oh, don't worry, dear. I'll still be here to keep you company."  
  
"Thank you, Mary," Violet smiled for her maid's sake. "Where's Snuffles?"  
  
"Oh, I let him out," Mary laughed. "To do his manly business. You know, I believe that he has a girlfriend! He keeps taking off towards the mountain."  
  
Violet grinned at the prospect of love blooming for the black dog. "I suppose love is in the air. After breakfast, I believe that I will go look for him. And explore the grounds a bit."  
  
"All right, miss. I'll go and see if Snuffles is back." Mary left the room.   
  
Violet finished her breakfast, and got up to go downstairs. Not finding Snuffles, she left through the kitchen door, and walked out through the herb garden. She came to a fork into two paths. *I wonder which path he takes.* She took the one that went to the left, and after a while, she came upon a cemetery. *Oh, it would be so lovely if someone took care of this place.* She walked over to a bench and a feeling of tiredness swept over her. *I wonder why I feel so tired all the time.* She sat down on it, and leaned against a tree. She was asleep in no time.  
  
Lost in a fog, she looked all around her. There was a girl there with unbelievably long hair. The girl looked so familiar! I know her, who is she? The girl looked up at her with such a sad expression that she was taken aback.  
  
"What's the matter?" She asked the girl. She seemed surprised that her voice worked here. Her other dreams did not allow for her have any control over her actions.  
  
"Lily, you must listen to me." The girl began. "Do you remember me?"  
  
"Why do you call me Lily? That's not my name." She replied. "I remember you, but I don't know who you are."  
  
"I call you Lily, because that's your name. My name is Christina, I was a friend at school with you." Christina looked at her sadly again. "You must listen to me. You are under a spell. I'm here to make you remember. You must remember. You are in terrible danger where you are right now."  
  
"My name's Lily? That sounds strange, but it must be right." Lily sat, and listened as Christina went on.   
  
"You were my best friend at Hogwart's Academy for Wizards and Witches. I was killed in September," A tear welled up in Christina's eyes. "I was killed protecting you. If you don't remember, and let the horrible thing that I died to protect you from happen, I'll be lost in eternity. Never to join my parents in the hereafter. Please don't let that happen. The dreams that you have been having, they are memories of your real life! Don't you feel as though something is missing? That love, true love, isn't with you in the life you are leading now?"  
  
"But I have true love!" Lily began. "I'm in love with… in love with…"  
  
"With who, Lily?" Christina said angrily. "With Tom?"  
  
"Yess…" Lily began.  
  
"Or with James?" Christina queried.   
  
"James," Lily's eyes were misty when she spoke the word. "I know that name. How?"  
  
"He's your true love, Lily. James. Not Tom. Tom is the Dark Lord Voldemort. He wants to marry you so that you will bear him an heir. After you have his child, he is going to kill you." Christina looked up, over her shoulder. "My time here is up now. Please, hurry! YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF THAT CASTLE! One more thing, follow the white stag. He will take you somewhere safe. Goodbye, Lily. Don't let my death be in vain. I miss my parents so much! Be careful!"  
  
Lily woke out of her deep sleep. Her memory had returned. She was sitting on a bench in the cemetery. She looked up. In front of her was a white stag.  
  
  
  
A/N Thank you everyone who reviewed! I love them so much! Keep them coming!  



	11. Lily is reborn

A/N: I think it is time for some long overdue thanks to my readers.  
  
Roarke: Am I that obvious? I was watching the Matrix when I decided to integrate that into my story. I'm glad that you like it though.  
  
Harry's Lost Sis: Thanks for the encouragement. It really means a lot.  
  
Arthurs Merlin: It's painfully obvious that I know nothing about Merlin and his times. Morganna was just the first famous witch that I could think of, so, I used her.  
  
Dodger and Amelia: I'm sorry that you hate cliffhangers, I'm rather partial to writing them. I guess it makes me feel powerful to have a reader at my mercy.  
  
To everyone else: Here's the next part like you asked for, hope that you like it! And once again, THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: You know all about it, so I'm not even going to say it.   
  
  
  
Chapter 11  
  
  
  
The massive, white stag stared at Lily unblinkingly. *Does she remember me? She's looking at me as though she does. God, she loks wonderful. Would she freak out if I transformed myself right now and kissed her?* Prongs chuckled at himself. *I wonder how he's touched her. I'm going to kill him. When I get my hands on him, I won't need a curse to kill him. I'll tear him apart with my bare hands, and there won't be a hit wizard in the galaxy who will be able to stop me!*  
  
"Prongs?" Lily said. "Don't transform now. Just get me out of here." The stag nodded his great, antlered head and knelt down on all fours. Lily climbed upon his back and they raced up the mountain trail.  
  
***********  
  
Voldemort apperated in Andrew's living room. "Stevenson!" He bellowed. Andrew swept into the room with an air of grace and dignity until he saw who beckoned him. It was his Master.  
  
"Master!" Andrew tripped over the footstool in his haste to reach the dark lord. "How are you this evening? We were just sitting down to dinner. Would you like to join us? What can I do for you?"  
  
Voldemort grinned at Andrew's ramblings. "I'm just here for some answers. I have reason to believe that the memory charm that I placed on her is beginning to wear off. I need to know what else I can do." Voldemort waited as Andrew walked over to a bookshelf and studied it for a moment before selecting the book of spells that he wanted. *He's really in his element with these books of his.* Voldemort thought wryly.  
  
"Well, my lord, the only thing that you could do is remove the charm completely and perform a new one. The removal charm is very difficult. N-n-not that you couldn't accomplish that, my lord," Andrew stuttered over the mistake he almost made. "It's just that an unpracticed wizard could really damage the mind. And you said that you didn't want to do that. One has to be very careful."  
  
"Thank you, Andrew. I will take that under advisement." Voldemort turned to leave. He was an important man, after all, and had business elsewhere. He turned on an afterthought. "Oh, Andrew, I require a best man for my wedding, I suppose. It's on the 23rd of next month. I believe that Violet has chosen green. Be there at noon." Voldemort turned and disapperated.   
  
Andrew Stevenson gaped at where his master had stood in awe. "Best man?" He gasped to himself. He'd never had believed it. He promptly passed out.  
  
***********  
  
Within moments, Lily and Prongs found themselves not far from the Marauder's camp. Prongs stopped and Lily clambered off his back. James transformed, and they were in each other's arms in an instant. James ran his hands over her body both caressing and checking for injuries at the same time. Lily lost her hands in James's messy black hair. Their lips met. They held each other, kissing passionately, tearing at each other's bodies as though they could not get close enough to each other. They stayed that way for several minutes.  
  
"Lily," James said. "Oh, god, Lily, I was so worried. I'm so glad that you are back with us."  
  
"James," Lily cried. "I'm so sorry. So very, very, sorry."  
  
"For what, Lils?" James breathed. "You didn't know what you were doing. You have nothing to be sorry for. It was all him. From the beginning."  
  
"I didn't, James. I honestly didn't." Lily searched his eyes for understanding, and found it. "I need you to know that if I could've, I would've left that place and returned to you in an instant. I swear that to you. I had no idea what I was doing." The words rushed out of Lily's mouth like a train out of a tunnel.  
  
"I do, Lils, I do. I don't blame you for any of this. I love you, Lily. I would give my life for you. Do you understand that? I would lay down and die for you." James punctuated that last sentence with another passionate kiss. "Let's go home."  
  
James and Lily entered the Marauder's camp, where she was immediately embraced by Remus and Sirius. "Snuffles, eh?" Sirius laughed. They began their decent down the other side of the mountain where the boys had secreted away four broomsticks. They then began their journey back to Hogwarts.  
  
***********  
  
Voldemort was sitting in the room he had rented at an inn, eating his dinner in front of a fireplace when Mary's head appeared in the fire. "What is it now, Mary?" Voldemort boomed. "Has Violet decided on teal instead of green for the wedding? I told you to tell her whatever she wanted was fine with me."  
  
"No, sir, it's just that, well," Mary began. "Miss Violet's gone missing, and I've become a little worried."  
  
"Missing?" Voldemort came out of his chair so suddenly, that he knocked over the table containing his dinner. "Missing where? What do you mean that she's missing? How could you let this happen?? "  
  
Mary's eyes darted nervously about. "Well, sir, she went out for a walk after breakfast, and she never returned. Funny thing is, sir, Snuffles is missing too. I don't know where he could be either! You don't suppose that something dreadful's happened to them, do you?  
  
"Who's Snuffles? Why didn't you contact me sooner? Why did you wait so long? Dammit!!" Voldemort cursed himself for leaving her there when he knew that the memory charm might be wearing off.  
  
"Well, Snuffles is this dog," Mary searched her brain fervently. "He showed up a few days ago at the kitchen door. He was so well behaved, and he had no tags, so I thought that I would bring him in to keep the young Miss company while you weren't about. I thought that he would be a good companion for her…"  
  
Mary was cut off by Voldemort. "An animagus. That's what it has to be. But who? Dumbledore doesn't have that power, I would have known about that." To Mary he said, "Describe the dog exactly. Don't leave out any markings that may seem unimportant to your small brain. Everything must be exact."  
  
As Mary was giving him a complete description of the dog she had found, Voldemort apperated in the kitchen behind her. He noted that she had tearstains drying on her cheeks. It was apparent that she had nothing to do with the girl's escape. He took a fistful of glittering powder from a pouch on the fireplace's mantle and threw it into the fire. "Stevenson, I need you! NOW!" A large shape had appeared in it, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Andrew stepped out of it, brushing ash and soot off of his robes.  
  
"Yes, Master," Andrew was perplexed. "How may I be of service to you?"  
  
"Hold out your arm, Stevenson," Voldemort sneered. He would not let Lily escape him. He pressed his long white forefinger to the brand on Andrew's proffered arm, summoning his Death Eaters.  
  
***********  
  
Across the sky, the four friends raced towards Hogwarts. One of the group, was falling very far behind. James stopped and flew back to Lily. "I'm sorry, James, I'm just so very tired. Can we please rest a while?" James nodded his assent, and called to Sirius and Remus. They all began a slow decent to the ground.  
  
"We'll stay the night here," Remus said. "But we'll have to leave at first light. Your disappearance won't go unnoticed by Voldemort for long. And, I need to get to a confined space soon. The moon will be full in a few days." Remus remembered regretfully the last time he transformed and he wasn't alone. They all nodded, and James held Lily to his chest as she soon fell asleep and again, began to dream.  
  
Lily was in the fog again, and Christina was there. Christina didn't look as happy as Lily had expected her to be. "Christina, what is it? I've escaped Voldemort, and we are on our way back to Hogwarts! I thought that you'd be happy!"  
  
"Oh, Lily," Christina's voice reeked of sadness. "You will never escape Voldemort until you are married. You must get up and leave for Hogwarts now! His Death Eaters are coming. They are close now. I know that you are tired, but you don't have much time! You must leave, now!" Then Christina smiled. "Tell Remus that if he continues to feel bad about what happened, I'll haunt him. I have to go. WAKE UP!!"  
  
Lily awoke with a start. All around her, the boys were sleeping. She woke them up quickly, and told them that they had to leave now. They were in incredible danger here.  
  
  
  



	12. Back at Hogwarts

Disclaimer: Not mine. Hers.  
  
  
  
Chapter 12  
  
  
  
It has been almost two months since Lily's disappearance, and Ana and Peter were at a loss for what was going on with their friends. Peter had recovered nicely, and was busy making friends with Severus Snape, Lucious Malfoy, and their collective group. Now that James, Sirius and Remus were gone, Lucious and Severus were the big men on the playground.   
  
As Lily was having her spiritual dreams from Christina, Peter was in the library, studing potions with his newfound friends. "Hmm," Severus looked around himself. "I need my 'Magical Antidotes to Common Poisons' book. I think that I may have left it in the Great Hall after lunch."   
  
Peter piped up cheerily, "I'll get it for you, Severus. Is there anything else you might need?"  
  
"No, Peter, wait," Lucious motioned to a chair beside him, and Peter sat down. "Have you heard anything from your friends, Potter, Black or Lupin?"  
  
"No," Peter muttered. "James had sent us one owl a few days after they left, but we haven't had one since. He said that once they were close to the dark lord's lair that it would be too risky." Peter had long ago confided in his new friends where the rest of the Marauders had gone. He thought that they seemed genuinely concerned. *After you get to know these guys, they weren't half bad.* Peter thought shortly after he began hanging out with them.  
  
"And rightly so," declared Severus. "My book, Peter?" Peter scurried off to the Great Hall. "Do you think he's telling the truth, Lucious?"  
  
"It doesn't really matter, Severus," Lucious said. "We have been told to wait for further instructions, and that's what we'll do. Now, can you help me? I need to know what goes into this sleeping potion. We have a practical exam on it the day after tomorrow."  
  
***********  
  
Ana was in the Great Hall having a solitary lunch when Peter ran by looking for Snape's book. She eyed him disapprovingly. "Running more errands for your little friends, Peter?" Ana spat. "You should be ashamed of yourself. After all James, Sirius and Remus have done for you!"  
  
"Ana," Peter said angrily. "Don't talk about my friends that way. You don't know anything about them. They've really been there for me, while James, Si, and Remus have been away. They really like them, and are concerned about their well being! You might like them if you gave them a chance. They aren't half bad fellows. James and Si were wrong about them." Peter looked at her sadly. "Look, why don't you come and sit with us for a while? It's time to face facts. We haven't heard from any of them for so long now. For all we know, they are all dead. It's time that we moved on with our lives! James and Lily wouldn't have wanted us to mourn their passing like this. They would want us to be happy!"  
  
Ana sat, wide eyed in disbelief, "You disgusting little rat! We don't know they're dead! They could already have Lily, and be on their way back here right now! What's the matter with you?" Ana jumped up from the Gryffindor table and ran from the room leaving behind a befuddled Peter. He hurriedly got Snape's book, and headed back to the library.  
  
***********  
  
Ana ran from the Great Hall to her now favorite place. The astronomy tower. There, she took her sky maps and began to study what she had recorded the previous night. What Peter, nor any other of her friends, didn't know, was that she had lived with a centaur, who had been her mother's closest friend for about a year before she attended Hogwarts. She also spent about two weeks of the summer holidays with him. She could read the stars, and knew what they meant. She would've told Peter what she learned, had he not strayed from her.   
  
She studied the star chart carefully. *Venus was in Cancer's second house last night, so that means that a return is eminent. Lily is a Virgo, and the shift from Aquarius to Pices recently means that something forgotten is going to be remembered shortly. God, I hope this means that they'll be home soon. Scorpio will be arriving soon. That means a danger for an Aries. I hope they're alright.* They would be returning soon, but someone would be grievously injured.  
  
***********  
  
Peter dropped off Severus's book in the library, and begged off to go to his now empty dorm room. He sat alone on his bed and looked around him. *Severus and Lucious are really good guys, aren't they? I mean, they keep asking after Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs. They can't be all bad if they care about me enough to care for my friends. I do miss Ana, though. What if she's right, and they do come back. Won't they be mad at me for hanging out with the guys they hate the most? I like to think that they would want me to have friends and be happy. I don't know what to do. What if they're dead? I can't be without any friends. I'm going to go and try to make up with Ana. I'll apologize, and start spending more time with her. I hope that I don't make Severus and Lucious mad, though. I like them too.* Peter hopped off of his bed, and walked down the stairs to find Ana.   
  
***********  
  
Twenty minutes later, Peter found Ana still in the Astronomy tower. He was out of breath from climbing so many stairs. "Ana," Peter gasped. "I'm so glad that I found you. I want to apologize. You're right. There's no reason why we should believe that our friends are dead. Please forgive me."  
  
"Well, Peter," Ana looked at him as if trying to decipher his sincerity. "All right. I guess I'm sorry too. We're all just trying to get through this in our own way. You can't handle it without friends, and I deal much better with my grief without anyone around, I guess. Friends again?"  
  
Peter smiled. "Friends."  
  
  
A/N Thank you for reviewing everybody! I promise to get back on track with Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius with the next chapter! Sorry if this ticks you off! I guess you could say that I'm a little blocked on what to happen to our favorite couple!  



	13. Lily's Showdown

Disclaimer: Same old stuff.   
  
  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
  
  
Voldemort turned to Mary, and she gasped. All the fires off hell seemed to burn in his eyes. "Stupefy!" Mary went down in a heap on the floor. Voldemort turned to the fireplace, and pulled a lever on the side of the mantle. A piece of the wall beside the fireplace slid aside, and opened up a doorway with stairs leading down. He began his descent to the room below, followed closely by Andrew. The Death Eaters were already beginning to apperate there.   
  
The room was the size of a high school gymnasium, except circular in dimension, with a large pit with a raised lip around it in the center. The Death Eaters, who had all arrived by now, took their places along the outside of the pit. Voldemort climbed a small staircase to a platform level with the edge of the pit. He raised both of his arms, and shouted to the ceiling, "Emotreh Woks!" A green light filled the room. A bright green orb shot straight up from the center of the pit, hit the ceiling, and divided in two. The two orbs fell back into the pit, and hung suspended as if by strings. The two orbs again shot up, in unison, and began to circle the room, spinning faster and faster, chasing on another until no one could tell where one ended and the other began. They circled closer and closer, lower and lower, until it appeared that the rim of the pit was painted bright green. In the center of the ring, the green light smoothed out like the surface of a placid lake. An image began to form. The image of a young girl.  
  
***********  
  
The sky was beginning to lighten, marking the start of a new day. Although the sun had not yet touched the horizon, four dark objects could be seen racing across the blue-gray sky. Sirius's stomach began to rumble. Looking down, he could see a small inn. He waved to his companions, "Oi! Breakfast!" He pointed towards the inn below. They nodded and all four began to slowly descend towards a wooded area not far from the inn.  
  
"Lils," James held out his invisibility cloak. "You had better put this on. We don't know how many people in there might be looking for you. They won't know who helped you escape, so we're safe to go in." Lily slipped the cloak over her shoulders and brought the hood up to cover her head.  
  
The four walked into the inn and sat down at the table. A muggle waitress walked up to them. She gave them a strange look when they ordered four plates of ham and eggs. "We'll take those to go, on second thought," said James. The waitress nodded and went to box their order. As they waited, their eyes darted warily about the inn. As far as they could tell, there were no other wizards or witches there.  
  
After getting their breakfast, they went back to where they left their broomsticks. They sat down and began to plan their strategy for the rest of their journey home. The full moon was tomorrow night, and if they made good time, they should be in Hogsmeade tomorrow morning. But they wouldn't be able to sleep all night. This would be especially difficult for Lily, as she was still dropping off to sleep at a moment's notice. The decided that they would each take turns flying next to her, making sure that she stayed on her broom.  
  
***********  
  
The girl who appeared in the pit had abnormally long brown hair. Her eyes burned hot with fury. "Who are you?" Demanded Voldemort. "You're not Lily Evans!"  
  
"No, and neither will you see Lily Evans through any way of Dark Magic. With my death, I have protected her from you. Who am I you ask? I am the girl whose parents' lives you mercilessly took trying to reach me. Reach me! To betray my friend! The girl who gave her life to save the world, and her friend. You will be vanquished, Voldemort! I am Christina Eastman!" Voldemort's eyes widened in recognition. Christina glared back at him defiantly. "So, you remember me. That's surprising. After all, you kill without remorse, killing whoever and whatever gets in your way."  
  
"I remember your parents, you foolish girl." Voldemort laughed. "They could've been valuable allies, not dying, cursing your name, and screaming for mercy like dogs."  
  
"You lie!" Christina cried. "My parents would never curse me! Just as I would never betray Lily!"  
  
Voldemort motioned for Andrew and two of his other Death Eaters as Christina's tirade went on. "Go to the forests outside of Hogsmeade, and await Miss Evans and her friends there." Voldemort instructed. "Once there, shoot them out of the sky, kill the others, and return Miss Evans to me." The three Death Eaters disapperated with a wave of Voldemort's hand, and he turned back to Christina.  
  
***********  
  
They had been flying for hours. The sun had risen, burned hot, and set. It was now late in the night. They were exhausted. They were also within miles of Hogsmeade. "Look, James!" cried Lily. "I can see Hogsmeade just beyond those trees!" No sooner had the words come out of her mouth, there was a loud bang, and Sirius fell off his broomstick, screaming. James and Remus raced after him, trying desperately to get to him before he landed. Lily, followed suit, and landed soon after them.   
  
By the time she had landed, Sirius was face up on the ground, with Remus's head on his chest. "Oh, God, Lily, James, He's dead!" Remus said in shock. Neither James nor Lily listened to him; however, their concentration was aimed at the three Death Eaters standing nearby.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Shouted Andrew. Lily's, Remus's, and James's wands flew through the air, and into Andrew's hands. "Crucio!" Remus and James slumped to the ground, screaming in pain.  
  
"Stop it!" Whimpered Lily. "Leave them alone!"  
  
"Leave them alone?" Andrew laughed. "If I leave them alone, I will have to kill them. I just thought that I'd have a little fun with them first." The other Death Eaters laughed gleefully at James and Remus's cries of torture.   
  
A sharp wind blew, and Lily's hair flew wild in all directions around her face. Her pupil dilated, so that they appeared black instead of the beautiful green that they normally were. She held her arms straight above her head, hands together, fingers outstretched to the sky. She rose a complete foot off of the ground. Beside her, James and Remus passed out from pain. Andrew and the other Death Eaters' laughter died as a great white ball of light began to form between Lily's outstretched palms. She began to speak in an unutterable tone, "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!" She pointed at Andrew, and his eyes grew wide in horror. He opened his mouth for a scream, that wouldn't come. His pale white skin began to split as the white light broke through. Two beams of light shot out from his chest, where his heart would be, and struck the two other Death Eaters beside him. With one last blast of light from Lily's fingertips, the three minions of Voldemort disintegrated.   
  
Lily floated to the ground. Her hair and eyes were back to normal, but the glowing white light was still burning in her hands. She reached out a hand, and touched James's cheek. He began to stir. She took her hand, and touched Remus's cheek. He also went through the movements of waking up from a very deep sleep. Lily then lay her hands on Sirius; one hand over his heart, and one on his forehead. James and Remus awoke to the sight of Sirius, floating three feet from the ground, glowing intensely with a white light, seemingly suspended by Lily's hands above him. He began to breathe. He opened his eyes, and he floated to the ground as if on strings. Lily's eyes rolled back into her head, and James caught her, just before her head hit the ground.  
  
***********  
  
"Your efforts are in vain, Voldemort," Christina laughed. "Even as we speak, Lily and her friends are alive and on Hogwarts's grounds. Your Death Eaters have failed, and are dead! You can't touch her now!" Christina's image faded, and Lily's image could be seen being carried by James along the passageway from the Shrieking Shack towards Hogwarts.   
  
***********  
  
Sirius and James (supporting a still unconscious Lily) trudged up the passageway. They could see the roots of the Whomping Willow ahead. Sirius looked around, but couldn't find a branch long enough to prod the knot. Suddenly, they could see a white rat clamber down and push the knot, freezing the tree. "Peter?" Sirius whispered. The three climbed up the hole where a very anxious Ana and a recently transformed Peter waited to take them to the Hospital Wing.  
  
A/N Sorry it took so long to get this part up, but it took me a while to write it too. ;) If you would like to see the picture that inspired Voldemort's hidden room, please see the pic on my author's profile!   



	14. 

Chapter 14  
  
  
  
Lily sat in the Gryffindor common room studying, as she had often been found for the weeks following her abduction. Her hands were still bandaged and covered with blisters from some sort of burn. She had been in the Hospital Wing for several days following their return, had had the interview with Dumbledore, but she had yet to come to a conclusion about what had happened to save her and her friends from the Death Eaters. James, Sirius and Remus hadn't been quite lucid about all that had happened, all that they had remembered was that they woke up, and Sirius was levitating three feet above the ground with Lily standing over him, and they were both glowing bright white. She felt better about Christina, and no longer mourned her passing, but she had no answers as to the glowing white light that had apparently saved all of their lives.  
  
James walked in and studied her for a minute. *She has been like that for weeks! Just sitting there, not doing anything but reading. I know that she wants to pass this year, but there's no way that she has to study this much! She hasn't been hanging out with her friends, or even me! She'll barely even talk to us!* He shook his head, and continued on his way to the boys' dormitory. *She'll talk when she's ready, I suppose.* James's arrival and departure went unnoticed by the girl with the flaming red hair.  
  
Ana rushed in through the Gryffindor portrait hole, looked about the room, and spotted who she was looking for. "Lily!! Look what I've got!" In Ana's hand was the tiniest gray and white kitten she had ever seen. It's eyes were big green saucers, as most kitten's eyes are, and full of mischief. It leapt out of Ana's hands, and sank its claws into Lily's robes where it climbed up to her shoulders. "I thought that you would like him. He's so cute! Hagrid found him in his pumpkin patch, trying unsuccessfully trying to catch a mouse. He said that I could have him, and I've brought him to you!"  
  
Lily smiled at the little kitten. He batted at a particle of dust in the air, flipped over, and promptly fell off of the sofa they had been sitting on. She laughed for the first time in a long time. "Oh, Ana, thank you. I think that he might be just what I needed." Lily scooped up the kitten, and walked off towards the portrait hole. "I'm going to sneak down to the kitchen and find him something to eat. I'll see you later, thank you again, Ana!"   
  
James trotted down from his dorm room and glanced over to where Lily previously had been. He was surprised to find Ana there instead with a big smile spread across her face. "Where's Lily?"  
  
"I just gave her a present," Ana said proudly. "I think that it may just bring her out of her slump.  
  
"What could you have possibly given her that would bring her out of her slump?" James asked. "I've been giving her little gifts ever since we got home, trying to do that, and nothing has worked!"  
  
"I gave her something that is completely dependent upon her," Ana smiled. "She's got something that needs her to get over whatever she's upset about."  
  
Lily crept back into the Gryffindor hall with the kitten and a small saucer of milk, looked at Ana and James, grinned sheepishly, and headed upstairs to her dorm. Once there, she flopped on her bed, and scratched her kitten behind the ears. "What should I name you?" she wondered aloud. She watched as the kitten ran up and down her bed and chased his own tail. He then saw a fly a little bit away from the edge of the bed, and walked over the edge chasing it. "Well, you certainly have a glitch in your system, little one. That's it, Glitch! That's a great name for you!" Lily picked Glitch up, and nuzzled his nose with her own. "Do you like your name, Glitch?" He responded with a loud meow. "I'll take that as a yes! I have to get downstairs, now, I have to talk to Dumbledore."  
  
Twenty minutes later, she found herself awaiting Professor Dumbledore outside of his office by the giant stone gargoyle. Her mind kept wandering to her new friend walking around in her dorm room. She smiled at the thought of it. "How lucky am I to have such a pretty girl smiling outside of my office?" Dumbledore waved Lily inside. "What can I do for you today?"  
  
Lily sat down in a chair in front of Professor's Dumbledore's desk. "Well, Professor, I was worried about my studies. Do you think that with the time that I've missed that I'll be able to pass this year?"  
  
"Miss Evans, as far as I can tell, you have nothing to worry about. Your professors have told me that you're back at the top of the class. You, and your friends have nothing to worry about." Dumbledore sighed. "You could've asked any of your teachers about this, what is the real reason that you're here?"  
  
Lily's eyes opened wide. Then she smiled. "Is it that obvious? I'm just curious, I suppose. How did James, Remus, Sirius, and I escape the Death Eaters? I don't remember any of it. When I try to think about it, all I can think of is being blinded by a bright, white, light."  
  
"Well, Miss Evans, the white light comes from you. It has to do with a power that you have inside of you. You have within you a very rare power that allows you create magic without a wand. It is so rare, that, only one known person every generation has it. You have the power to bring life from death. And to incinerate evil." Dumbledore looked at her, waiting for her reaction.   
  
"Ah. So, that explains the burns, I suppose. I thought that Voldemort had done something that I couldn't remember. So, I brought Sirius back to life? He really was dead? I thought that he had just been very injured. I've always been good at healing charms." Lily sat and pondered this for a while.   
  
"Well, Miss Evans, if that is all, I do have a letter that I have to write to the Daily Prophet. It seems that they have a new journalist on a gossip column that has misquoted me about a question she asked me about dragon's blood that I have to correct her on. A Miss Skeeter, I believe." Dumbledore rose and escorted Lily out the door of his office.   
  
As she turned to leave, she asked over her shoulder, "Do you think that you could help me to harness this power, sir? I have a feeling that Voldemort isn't finished with me yet."  
  
"I'll try and find something to help you, Miss Evans." He closed the door behind her, and shook his head as he walked back to his desk. "How right you are, Lily. Voldemort is not yet finished with you."  
  
Lily left Dumbledore's office feeling much better. She went in search of James.  
  
***********  
  
On the Hogwart's Express back to Platform 9 ¾, Lily, James, Sirius, Peter, Remus, and Ana were sitting in a cabin by themselves playing a game of exploding snap. Once again, James and Lily had received top marks for their year, and Gryffindor had won the house and quidditch cups once again. Lily had come out of her shell considerably, and was chatting amiably with her friends when the door burst open. Lucious Malfoy, and Severus Snape marched in speckled in red and gold paint. "Where is she???" Lucious snarled. "Our trunks have just exploded, and there is red and gold paint all over our clothes, books, and cabins. This stinks of that dirty little mudblood."  
  
James, Sirius, and Remus jumped up, wands drawn, and cursed the two intruders all at once. "Hmmm, I don't suppose that we should all have done that. They don't look so good, do they? Oh, well, let's get them out of here." Remus opened the door, and James and Sirius kicked Severus and Lucious out the door. When James turned around, he had a large grin on his face. "You know, they're right."  
  
"About what, Jay?" Lily said.  
  
"These are the best times of our lives." James grinned, sat down, and picked up his hand of cards, as the Hogwart's Express barreled down the track towards London.  
  
  
  
A/N This is the end of my silly little story. Thank you again for all who reviewed! Don't worry, I'll be writing a sequel to this shortly! At least as soon as I get a plotline figured out. You guys (and gals) are wonderful! @---`-`----- A dozen of these to all of you who stuck through all of this with me!  



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